Roald Dahl’s eccentric and quirky world from the book is taken from the pages and presented on the screen perfectly through 2022’s Matilda the Musical, directed by Mathew Warchus. Winning several awards after its release, this musical fantasy number transported every viewer back to the good old childhood days when everything was possible, and life seemed like a song.
Veteran actress Emma Thompson completely commands every scene she is in, giving the character of Miss Trunchbull a whole new facet. Child actress Alisha Weir who plays the titular role of Matilda Wormwood, definitely makes her mark in the industry with this performance, supported by Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey.
Equipped with an ingenious mind and a gifted imagination, the protagonist Matilda is a young girl born as a black sheep in her odd family. While the world of her parents and her dumb brother end before trashy TV shows and money-making schemes, Matilda is a girl with evergrowing curiosity who not only taught herself to read but also to cook, travel to the library, and basically make it on her own at a very young age.
When her father begrudgingly enrolls in a run-off-the-mill school, Matilda is at the top of her world, getting the opportunity to learn more. There she meets Miss Honey, the first adult to ever encourage her, and also the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, the terrifying bully who ran Matilda’s very oppressive new school. But when Matilda discovers she might have just one more special ability up her sleeve, she uses it to teach the mean and torturous Miss Trunchbull a well-deserved lesson.
Matilda the Musical is definitely a captivating film experience, with spectacular performances by top stars and an effective comedy that gives the movie its allure. What makes this particular melodious drama stand apart from other adaptations of the book, like Danny DeVito’s 1996 version starring Mara Wilson, is the vivid color scheme adopted during cinematography and the graceful choreography and accompanying orchestra.
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Matilda The Musical: A Guide to its filming locations
Upon its release in 2010, Tony and Olivier’s award-winning Musical became an instant hit, and it came as no surprise when it was adapted for the big screen through this movie. Apart from nightmare worthy portrayal of Trunchbull by Thompson and the superb song numbers, the film offered a roaring variety of remarkable locations that made it special.
Even though most of the film was brought to life in the Shepperton Studios of Surrey, United Kingdom, the director did venture out of the studio to film a good number of scenes, some even in Ireland. Read more to find out the various landmarks featured in Matilda the Musical’s filming locations.
Bramshill House
Bramshill House of Hampshire, England, is probably one of the most iconic locations used in the film to depict the ominous school that Matilda goes to, Crunchem Hall. A grand 1600s mansion that was once owned by the likes of Henry VIII and King James with vast a vast estate rolled out in front of it, and it is perhaps one of the most widely used sets of the film.
Denham Village
The quaint parish village of Denham in Buckinghamshire was used to shoot the various scenes along the stops of Mrs. Phelps’s mobile library. What is interesting about this particular village, though, is its close proximity to Matilda’s author, Roald Dahl’s actual house in Great Missenden, which is just 25 minutes away.
Bison Hill Car Park
The breathtaking windmill scenes of the movie were shot against the luscious backdrop of Bison Hill Park in Dunstable, England, while the windmill itself was added onto it.
While some filming and external photography of the film might have been done in some parts of Dublin, Ireland, and even the Whipsnade Zoo in England, the 2022 version of the book-to-screen adaptation was created primarily in the United Kingdom.
If you still haven’t had the opportunity to experience Matilda the Musical’s fantastical and colorful cinematography with exciting music and dance performances, then do it now on Netflix.
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